Gisselle's Maternity Photo Session

I find it such a privilege to be the one to take Gisselle's maternity photos. Gisselle and I go way back. I've known her since 2012 when we became classmates in San Francisco State University's Nursing program...and we have been very good friends ever since. When she asked me to be her very first maternity photographer, I immediately said "yes!" This baby will be her very first with her husband Tyler. This maternity shoot also gave us the opportunity to photograph the new husband and wife.

Since Gisselle and Tyler live an hour away from us, I decided to scout for a photo shoot location somewhere in between our towns and I found Round Valley Regional Park in Brentwood. As usual, we visited the location a week before the shoot to plan my shots and to track where the sun would be during sunset.

In the matter of what dress to wear for the shoot, I and Gisselle decided that she should wear a dark green one as I remember her looking great in that color when we were still nursing students. She also decided to get a flower hair accessory that went very well with her dress. The shades of oranges, ochres, and browns created by the sunset in the woods complemented Gisselle's dark green dress so nicely!

After a few solo shots of Gisselle, it was time for Tyler to join in the fun!

The dress' length provided Gisselle with a dramatic mermaid shape, but I thought that it could be more dramatic with an additional accessory. A few hours before the shoot, I purchased 6 yards of fabric that I matched--at the best of abilities--with the color of the dress (imagine me asking Gisselle in real time to send me a photo of the dress taken under fluorescent lights...because the fabric store I was in also was lit with fluorescent lights). It was not exactly the same color, but it was close enough. And just as I thought, it added more drama to the photos!